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Although the book was released in 2006, author Thomas Hackett did years of work researching pro wrestling as he attended events and talked with wrestlers from the WWE, WCW and original ECW. Thomas Hackett also goes beyond the wrestlers and promotions themselves, speaking with a ton of remarkably interesting wrestling fans.
The start of the book Slaphappy features author Thomas Hackett taking a bus trip to an ECW wrestling event with a ton of other wrestling fans. The most interesting of those fans was Mr. Slick, who was probably the most insightful of the wrestling fans interviewed on the bus trip, talking about why he felt people were and were not wrestling fans.
Thomas Hackett also conducts an interview with former WWE Champion and current feature film star, Dwayne “The Rock†Johnson. Thomas Hackett speaks with The Rock in a restaurant in New York, mainly discussing how The Rock got over with the fans and how he got involved in a “fetish†like entertainment medium.
One of the most depressing chapters in this book is the tale Thomas Hackett shares about his trip to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to meet the Hart Family. Thomas Hackett discusses the sadness he felt when he finally met members of the Hart Family, notably Stu Hart and then he talks about his walk with Bret Hart talking about the deaths of many pro wrestlers.
The author also conducts a pretty interesting interview with former ECW, WCW, WWE and TNA star, The Sandman. In this interview, The Sandman goes in depth about his drinking and drug usage while being a professional wrestler, while at the same time, is trying to be a responsible father and provide for his children.
Another interesting portion of this book is when author Thomas Hackett spends time with longtime XPW and independent wrestling star Luke Hawk (aka Altar Boy Luke). During his time with Luke Hawx, author Thomas Hackett discusses the troubled childhood of the pro wrestler and how he hoped to use that experience to be a good father to his kid.
Thomas Hackett also delves into the world of death match wrestling, most notably speaking with death match wrestlers The Wifebeater and Nick Mondo. The stuff with The Wifebeater is the most interesting, even more gruesome is the photo included of the cut up back of the wrestler. The brief segment with Nick Mondo is the most telling, as he discusses how he planned on exiting the world of pro wrestling.
Overall, Slaphappy will not tell the world why pro wrestling is the way it is, but author Thomas Hackett does tell an interesting story from a non-wrestling fans point of view.
You can pick this book up at the PWInsider Store for only $19.96!
You can contact David Tees at bigteesps3@yahoo.com
